India’s two team and four individual gold medals are hailed as the beginning of its reign as the ‘best chess nation’.

India made history by winning both the open and women's gold medals at the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad. In the open category, Grandmasters Gukesh Dommaraju, Arjun Erigaisi, and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu led India to a commanding 3.5-0.5 victory over Slovenia.

This victory marks India’s first-ever gold medal in the Chess Olympiad. India’s closest competitor, China, was unable to close the gap, solidifying India’s historic win. Just two years ago, India’s second team had claimed bronze at the Olympiad in Mamallapuram, near Chennai.

A possible FIDE world crown for Gukesh would be an ideal way to finish off a superlative year for Indian chess

Prime Minister Narendra Modi commended the Indian teams on their historic achievement of securing gold medals in both men's and women's events at the FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest. Modi highlighted this as a significant milestone in India's sports journey,

India's chess teams made history in Budapest on Sunday as they won gold in the open and women's categories at the 2024 Chess Olympiad. The open team of D. Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi and Harikrishna Pentala beat Slovenia in round 11 to upgrade their bronze from 2022.

India clinched historic double gold medals at the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024 with both men and women's teams topping the charts in the Open and women sections.